Sealant injection systems

ABSTRACT

Sealant injection systems for injecting sealant into a cavity, the sealant injection systems including a sealant dispensing tip having a proximal end portion, a body portion, and a distal end portion that define a continuous channel to an aperture in the distal end portion for dispensing sealant material into a cavity, where the aperture is surrounded by a compressible material. The distal end portion may have a linear ridge defined on an end face, the aperture being asymmetrically provided relative to the ridge.

CROSS-REFERENCE

This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/792,540, filed Jul. 6, 2015. The complete disclosure of theabove-identified patent application is hereby incorporated by referencefor all purposes.

FIELD

This disclosure relates to sealant injection systems and methods fordispensing sealant into a cavity.

INTRODUCTION

Many types of manufacturing require small voids and channels to befilled by a sealant composition. In many such instances, sealant may beapplied manually in order to ensure the complete filling of the void, toperform any necessary reshaping and smoothing of the sealant, and toensure that any sealant applied in excess or to an undesired area issatisfactorily removed. Such manual operations are tedious,time-consuming, may consume an undesirably large amount of skilledlabor, and may generate an undesirable amount of waste.

Although the use of automated manufacturing has proven economical in avariety of industrial applications, the use of existing tooling forautomated sealant delivery may lead to unsatisfactory results.

What is needed is a sealant injection system that is well-suited forautomated manufacturing methods, and that can fill cavities rapidly andwith a precise amount of sealant so that post-dispensing clean-up isminimized.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides sealant dispensing tips, sealantinjection systems, and methods of injecting sealant into a cavity.

In some aspects, the present disclosure provides a sealant dispensingtip that includes a proximal end portion, a body portion connected tothe proximal end portion, and a distal end portion connected to the bodyportion. The proximal end portion of the sealant dispensing tip isconfigured to engage a sealant material dispensing system, and thesealant dispensing tip includes a continuous channel that is defined byand through the proximal end portion, body portion, and distal endportion to an aperture provided in the distal end portion for dispensingsealant material into a cavity. The distal end portion further includesa compressible material surrounding the aperture.

In some aspects, the present disclosure provides a sealant injectionsystem that includes a robot having an end effector, a nozzle connectedto the end effector, and a disposable tip mounted on the nozzle. The endeffector is configured to move a sealant dispenser and to control a flowof sealant to a desired location. The tip has a central channel, anaperture in an end face, and a compressible member adhered to the endface surrounding the aperture.

In some aspects, the present disclosure provides a method of injectingsealant into a cavity, the method including compressing a compressibleelement provided on a distal end face of a nozzle tip against astructure defining an opening to the cavity, and channeling sealantthrough the nozzle and tip into the cavity.

Features, functions, and advantages may be achieved independently invarious embodiments of the present disclosure, or may be combined in yetother embodiments, further details of which can be seen with referenceto the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic and illustrative representation of an aircraft,including a cutaway portion depicting a representation of internal wingstructure.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of a stringer attached to a wingpanel of an aircraft.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrammatic and illustrative representations of anautomatic sealant injection system according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic representation of an exemplary sealant nozzletip according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the exemplary sealant nozzle tip of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the exemplary sealant nozzle tip of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the exemplary sealant nozzle tip asindicated in FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the exemplary sealant nozzle tip asindicated in FIG. 6.

FIGS. 9A-9C depict diagrammatic cross-sectional views of the exemplarysealant nozzle tip attached to a wing panel, showing the positioning ofthe exemplary sealant nozzle tip at an opening of a cavity.

FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the exemplary sealant nozzle tip.

FIG. 11 is a top view of the exemplary sealant nozzle tip.

FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic representation of a stringer attached to awing panel of an aircraft, showing the positioning of the exemplarysealant nozzle tip at an opening of a cavity.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart depicting an illustrative method of injectingsealant into a cavity.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart depicting an alternative illustrative method ofinjecting sealant into a cavity.

DESCRIPTION Overview

Various embodiments of sealant dispensing tips, sealant injectionsystems, and methods of injecting sealant into a cavity are describedbelow and illustrated in the associated drawings. Unless otherwisespecified, the sealant injection systems of the present disclosureand/or its various components may, but are not required to, contain atleast one of the structure, components, functionality, and/or variationsdescribed, illustrated, and/or incorporated herein. Furthermore, thestructures, components, functionalities, and/or variations described,illustrated, and/or incorporated herein in connection with the presentteachings may, but are not required to, be included in other similarsealant injection systems. The advantages possessed or exhibited byselected aspects, as described below, are illustrative in nature. Thefollowing description of various aspects is exemplary in nature and isin no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses.

The sealant dispensing tips, sealant injection systems, and methods ofinjecting sealant into a cavity described herein may possess particularutility for filling cavities with sealant, particularly but notexclusively cavities that may be longitudinal cavities, or channels,having an opening at each end of the cavity. The disclosed sealantdispensing tips may permit the formation of a seal between thedispensing tip and the opening to the longitudinal cavity that issufficiently robust to permit the injection of sealant into the cavitywith adequate pressure that sealant fills the entire cavity withoutcompromising the seal.

While the sealant injection systems, sealant dispensing tips, andmethods of injecting sealant of the present disclosure may be describedin the context of aircraft manufacture, it should be appreciated thatvarious embodiments of the disclosed systems and methods may and likelywill possess enhanced utility in any manufacturing process that requiresthe injection of a sealant into a cavity, and so should not beconsidered limited to aircraft manufacture.

FIGS. 1 and 2 shown an example of a cavity structure on an aircraftwhich may require sealing and/or filling. FIG. 1 depicts an aircraft 10as viewed from above, including wings 12, 14, and fuselage 16. Wing 12includes a cutaway portion 20 that reveals a schematic depiction of theinternal structure of the wing, incorporating spars running spanwisealong the wing, and ribs running across the wing between adjacent spars.Structural strength may be added to the skin of the wing byincorporating one or more stringers, which may run longitudinally alongthe wing.

A portion of a lower wing panel 22 with an attached stringer segment 24is depicted schematically in FIG. 2. Stringer 24 has a conformation suchthat when stringer 24 is attached to wing panel 22, channels 26, 27, 28,and 29 are formed between stringer 24 and wing panel 22. The sealantdispensing tips, sealant injection systems, and methods of injectingsealant into a cavity of the present disclosure may be well-suited tofilling one or more of channels 26, 27, 28, and 29 with a chosen sealantformulation.

The sealant dispensing tips, sealant injection systems, and methods ofinjecting sealant into a cavity described herein may be similarlyapplied and/or adapted to seal or fill many other structures on aircraftand other manufactured products.

Examples, Components, and Alternatives

The following sections describe selected aspects of exemplary sealantinjection systems, sealant dispensing tips, and methods of injectingsealant as well as related systems and/or methods. The examples in thesesections are intended for illustration and should not be interpreted aslimiting the entire scope of the present disclosure. Each section mayinclude one or more distinct inventions, and/or contextual or relatedinformation, function, and/or structure.

Example 1

This example describes an illustrative sealant injection system 40according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS.3A and 3B.

Sealant injection system 40 may be coupled to, and operated by, acomputer 41. Sealant injection system 40 may include an industrialrobotic arm assembly 42 that may be further coupled to an end effector44. End effector 44 may be configured to interact with the environment,and may serve as an attachment point for one or more tools. Inparticular, end effector 44 may be configured to interact with aworkpiece that is undergoing part of a manufacturing process. Endeffector 44 may be configured to include a supply of sealant and asealant flow control system. Where End effector 44 includes a sealantflow control system, End effector 44 may in turn be coupled to a nozzle46. Selected examples of end effectors suitable for use in sealantinjection systems are described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,651,046 to Davancenset al. Selected examples of control valves incorporating valve bodiessuitable for use in sealant injection systems are described in U.S. Pat.No. 9,016,530 to Topf et al.

As shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 3B, nozzle 46 of sealant injectionsystem 40 may be coupled to a sealant dispensing tip 48, which may alsobe identified as a nozzle tip. As shown in greater detail in FIGS. 4-8,sealant dispensing tip 48 may include a proximal end portion 50 that isconfigured to engage the sealant material dispensing system 40, a bodyportion 52 that is connected to the proximal end portion 50, and adistal end portion 54 that is connected to the body portion 52. As shownin FIGS. 7 and 8, a continuous channel 55 may be defined throughproximal end portion 50, body portion 52, and distal end portion 54 toan aperture 56 defined in the distal end portion 54, where aperture 56is configured for dispensing sealant material into a cavity. Acompressible material 57 may be attached to the distal end portion 54 sothat compressible material 57 surrounds aperture 56.

Proximal end portion 50 of sealant dispensing tip 48 may be configuredto releasably engage nozzle 46 of sealant injection system 40. Anyengagement mechanism capable of releasably securing sealant dispensingtip 48 to nozzle 46 is an appropriate engagement mechanism for thepurposes of this disclosure. The engagement mechanism may be selected sothat sealant dispensing tip 48 can be engaged to sealant injectionsystem 40 and subsequently disengaged from sealant injection system 40.The engagement mechanism may be selected so that such engagement anddisengagement can be accomplished quickly and easily. In addition, theengaging mechanism may be selected so that the interface between sealantdispensing tip 48 and nozzle 46 is robust and so that sealant does notleak from the interface.

Proximal end portion 50 of sealant dispensing tip 48 may be configuredso that the sealant dispensing tip 48 may be easily engaged anddisengaged from nozzle 46 manually, that is by hand. Alternatively or inaddition, the sealant dispensing tip 48 may be configured so that it maybe easily engaged and disengaged from nozzle 46 automatically, forexample robotically. The sealant injection system 40 may include amechanism configured to coordinate with robotic arm assembly 42 so thatsealant dispensing tip 48 may be automatically replaced with anidentical or differing sealant dispensing tip. The sealant injectionsystem may include an array of such dispensing tips suited for variousapplications, and be configured so that the dispensing tips can berapidly selected and exchanged without manual intervention.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the proximal end portion 50of sealant dispensing tip 48 may be configured to cooperate with anengagement mechanism configured to secure the sealant dispensing tip 48to the distal portion of nozzle 46 during operation. The engagementmechanism may include a threaded engagement mechanism, a cam and grooveengagement mechanism, a locking cam engagement mechanism, a resilientsnap-on engagement mechanism, or other such engagement mechanism. Inparticular, the proximal end portion 50 may include one or moreresilient projections 58 that may be configured to engage correspondingand complementary structures on distal portion of nozzle 46. The sealantdispensing tip 48 may be configured to be manually urged into engagementwith nozzle 46, with projections 58 flexing under such urging, and thensnapping securely into place, retaining sealant dispensing tip 48 inengagement with nozzle 46 of the sealant injection system 40.

The distal end portion 54 of sealant dispensing tip 48 may include anend face 60 surrounding and defining distal aperture 56 that isconfigured to dispense a sealant material into a target cavity. Thesealant dispensing tip 48 may be configured so that a continuousinternal channel 55 is defined by and through the proximal end portion50, body portion 52, and distal end portion 54, the continuous internalchannel 55 being configured to form a fluid connection between nozzle 46and distal aperture 56.

The internal channel 55 may be shaped so that at the proximal end 50 ofthe sealant dispensing tip 48 the channel cross-section matches thecross-section of an outlet of nozzle 46. At the distal end 54 of thesealant dispensing tip 48 the channel may terminate at distal aperture56. Internal channel 55 may have a profile that varies along its lengthso as to minimize pressure build-up when sealant is urged through theprofile. For example, the cross-sectional profile of internal channel 55may change shape from its proximal end to its distal end in such a wayas to avoid discontinuities or irregularities in the channel or alongthe channel walls that might compromise the flow of sealant. Theinternal channel 55 may change shape continuously and smoothly along thelength of the internal channel. Alternatively, the internal channel maychange shape in two or more discrete regions.

For example, and as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the internal channel 55 ofsealant dispensing tip 48 may change shape in two regions 64 and 66. Thefirst region 64 defines a substantially conical channel region thatsmoothly decreases in cross-sectional diameter from the proximal end 50of sealant dispensing tip 48 to a transition point 68, while the secondregion 66 defines a region that smoothly transitions from a circularcross-section at the transition point 68 to a cross-section matchingthat of aperture 56 at the distal end portion 54 of the sealantdispensing tip 48.

Distal end portion 54 of the sealant dispensing tip 48 may be configuredto form a cooperative seal with a surface that surrounds and defines anopening that is in fluid communication with the cavity to be filled withsealant. For example, end face 60 of distal end portion 54 mayincorporate one or more planar surfaces sized and disposed appropriatelyto form such a cooperative seal.

More specifically, in considering channels 26, 27, 28, and 29 betweenstringer 24 and wing panel 22 of FIG. 2, the distal end portion 54 ofsealant dispensing tip 48 may be shaped so as to form a sealsimultaneously against vertical side surface 70 of stringer 24 andhorizontal upper surface 72 of wing panel 22. An appropriateconfiguration for end face 60 of sealant dispensing tip 48 may includetwo planar surfaces 74 and 76, where planar surface 74 is configured tobe pressed against vertical side surface 70, and planar surface 76 isconfigured to be pressed against horizontal surface 72, as shown in FIG.9.

Planar surfaces 74 and 76 may meet at an angle of approximately 90degrees in order to be complementary to the geometry of the surfacessurrounding and defining channels 26, 27, 28, and 29. Intersectingplanar surfaces 74 and 76 may form a linear ridge 78 on end face 60 (asshown in FIGS. 6 and 7) that is configured to be urged into the corner79 defined by vertical surface 70 and horizontal surface 72 (as shown inFIGS. 9B and 9C).

It should be appreciated that the number, size, and relativeorientations of the planar surfaces of end face 60 may be varied inorder to accommodate the geometry surrounding the particular cavity tobe filled with sealant. For example, end face 60 may include two or moreplanar surfaces that form an angle that is an acute angle, an obtuseangle, or an approximate right angle in order to accommodate thecorresponding geometry around the cavity to be filled. In one aspect ofthe present disclosure, end face 60 may include two planar surface thatform an angle therebetween of between about 80 to about 100 degrees.

FIGS. 9A-9C depict an illustrative placement of sealant dispensing tip48 so as to facilitate the filling of a cavity with sealant. The cavityto be filled with sealant corresponds to a channel 80 formed in stringer24, which is open at each end of the channel. The injection of sealantinto channel 80 may be facilitated by channel 80 being open at the endopposite the injection site. Opening 82 to channel 80 is defined invertical face 70.

Correspondingly, distal aperture 56 may be defined in planar surface 74of end face 60, and distal aperture 56 may not extend onto planarsurface 76. In this way distal aperture 56 may be more closely alignedwith opening 82 of channel 80.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, aperture 56 is defined by planar surface74, and so aperture 56 may be considered to be off-center with respectto the centerline of end face 60, which in this example is coincidentwith linear ridge 78. Aperture 56 may have any profile suitable forforming a seal against opening 82 to channel 80. For example, aperture56 may be smaller than opening 82. That is, that each of the width andheight of aperture 56 may be less than the corresponding width andheight of opening 82. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, aperture 56 may berounded and elongate, and the axis of elongation of aperture 56 may beconfigured so that it is substantially parallel to surface 72 whenchannel 80 is being filled with sealant. In one aspect of the presentdisclosure, distal aperture 56 is rounded and elongate, and the width ofaperture 56 along its long axis is about ¼ inch (6.4 mm) long.

Compressible material 57 applied to end face 60 of sealant dispensingtip 48 may help to form an enhanced seal between end face 60 of sealantdispensing tip 48 and opening 82 of channel 80. Compressible material 57may include an opening 86 present in and defined by compressiblematerial 57 that is centered on distal aperture 56, and that is largerthan distal aperture 56. Opening 86 may be either smaller than or largerthan the opening 82, provided that a suitable seal between end face 50and opening 82 of channel 80 can be established and maintained. In oneaspect of the present disclosure, opening 86 may be smaller than opening82 to channel 80. That is, opening 86 in the compressible material 57 ofend face 60 may be smaller than opening 82 to channel 80, while at thesame time opening 86 may be larger than distal aperture 56 in distal endportion 54 of sealant dispensing tip 48.

The sizes of distal aperture 56 and opening 86 in the compressiblematerial 57 of end face 60 may be selected so that they are suitable forfilling very small orifices. However, the utility of disclosed sealantdispensing tip 48 for larger cavities is not diminished, and a sealantinjection system employing sealant dispensing tip 48 can be used to filllarger channels or cavities without the necessity of exchanging thedispensing tip for an alternative tip having a larger distal aperture.

End face 60 of sealant dispensing tip 48 may be configured so that endface 60 may be placed in contact with a corner 79 formed by side surface74 and horizontal surface 72, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B. Furtherurging of sealant dispensing tip 48 into corner 79 may result in acompression of compressible material 57, as shown in FIG. 9C. Thiscompression may help form a temporary seal between distal end portion 54of sealant dispensing tip 48 and the surfaces surrounding opening 82, asshown in FIG. 9C. Sealing the dispensing tip around the cavity openingwith sufficient force may permit rapid and efficient transfer of sealantfrom the tip into the cavity. Additionally, the location of distalaperture 56 may be selected so that compression of compressible material57 results in an enhanced alignment between distal aperture 56 andcavity opening 82.

Alternatively, or in addition, the presence of compressible material 57may permit the formation of a temporary seal between distal end portion54 and the workpiece even when a robotic sealant injection system mayslightly misalign sealant dispensing tip 48 when urging it against theworkpiece, providing an increased degree of tolerance during automatedprocesses.

Where side surface 74 and horizontal surface 72 meet at approximatelyright angles, end face 60 is configured to possess an approximately 90degree edge so as to form a satisfactory seal against surfaces 74 and72. In some aspects of the present disclosure, forming a seal betweensealant dispensing tip 48 and surfaces 72 and 74 may necessitate thatnozzle 46 and end effector 44 of sealant injection system 40 be orientedat an angle of approximately 45 degrees with respect to surface 72 ofwing panel 22. Such a disposition of end effector 44 may be advantageouswhere the size and orientation of end effector 44, as well as roboticarm 42, may limit the permitted angle of approach of sealant dispensingtip 48 to the workpiece.

Any material that is sufficiently resilient and compressible to create atemporary seal between distal end portion 54 and the surfacessurrounding opening 82 is an appropriate material for the purposes ofthe present disclosure. In one aspect, compressible material 57 is afoam, such as a natural gum foam. The natural gum foam may beadhesive-backed in order to facilitate attachment of compressiblematerial 57 to end face 60 of sealant dispensing tip 48, however anysuitable adhesive composition may be applied to one or both of thecompressible material and end face 60 to secure compressible material 57in place. In a preferred embodiment, an acrylic adhesive is suitable foradhering the compressible material to the distal end portion 54.Compressible material 57 may be selected so that a suitable compressiveforce applied by the robotic arm assembly 42 will produce an adequateseal between the compressible material 57 and the surface surroundingthe opening to the cavity to be filled with sealant. An adequate sealmay be, but is not required to be, a hermetic or air-tight seal. A sealbetween the compressible material 57 and the cavity opening is openingis adequate when the seal resists the leaking of sealant under anapplied pressure sufficient to inject sealant into the cavity.

The compressible material 57 may be selected so that a compressive forceof about 1-20 psi (about 7-138 kPa), 2-15 psi (,14-103 kPa) or 5-9 psi(about 34-62 kPa) results in an indentation force deflection of at leastabout 25%. Compressible material 57 may further be selected so that thedensity of the compressible material is about 10-40 lbs/ft³(about160-640 kg/m³) 15-35 lbs/ft³ (about 240-560 or 23-29 lbs/ft³ (about368-464 kg/m³). Compressible material 57 may be applied across the widthof end face 60, or compressible material 57 may extend beyond the edgeof end face 60, as shown in FIGS. 4-9, provided that compressiblematerial 57 extends sufficiently to provide a satisfactory seal betweendistal end face 60 and the surfaces surrounding opening 82.

Compressible material 57 may be selected to have a thickness of about1/64 inch (0.4 mm) to about ⅛ inch (3.2 mm), or about 1/32 inch (0.8 mm)to about 1/16 inch (1.6 mm). An illustrative, but not exclusive, exampleof an appropriate composition for use as a compressible material 57 isan adhesive-backed natural gum foam available from MCMASTER-CARR(catalog no. 93625K434). Other types of compressible foam materials suchas polyurethane or polyethylene may also be used for some applications.

The sealant injection systems of the present disclosure may have utilityfor injecting any of a variety of viscous fluids or semi-solidcompositions into a variety of cavities and/or channels, in a variety ofindustrial settings. The term sealant is used to refer to any suchcomposition suitable for substantially filling such cavities and/orchannels using the disclosed sealant injection systems. Such sealantcompositions may be adhesive or non-adhesive, and may or may not besubject to curing. Any sealant composition having a suitable viscosityunder the desired application conditions that the sealant injectionsystem can force the sealant composition throughout the channel orcavity is an appropriate sealant composition, particularly where thechannel is not sealed but is open at the end remote from the injectionsite.

In one aspect of the disclosure, the sealant composition may be selectedto have sufficiently adhesive properties to provide effective sealing,for example to completely fill and thereby plug a channel. The sealantcomposition may be selected to undergo curing, either via the additionof an activating compound or catalyst, by the passage of time, or othermechanism. A variety of suitable sealant compositions are commerciallyavailable, including plastic sealants, rubber sealants, and varnishes,among many others.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the sealant composition maybe a polysulfide-based synthetic rubber sealant, such as for examplefast-curing BMS 5-45 polysulfide sealant.

Example 2

This example describes an illustrative control system for a sealantinjection system 40, as described in Example 1.

Sealant injection system 40 may be coupled to, and operated by, acomputer 41, including a processor 90. Processor 90 may include softwarecorresponding to a user interface, where the user interface permits anoperator to program sealant injection system 40 to execute the desiredsequence of movements and operations required to dispense a sealantcomposition as described in the present disclosure. The user interfacemay accept inputs such as the dimensions of the work piece, theviscosity of the sealant to be used, the inner diameter of the dispensertip, the length of the dispenser tip, the geometry of the distal endportion of the dispenser tip, and the degree of compressibility ofcompressible material 57 disposed at end face 60 of distal end portion54 of sealant dispensing tip 48, among others. The user interface may beconfigured so that the parameters for the dispensation or injection ofsealant is specified by the operator. Alternatively, the user interfacemay permit an operator to simply input a series of defining parameters,such as for example the dimensions of the workpiece, including thecoordinates of each cavity to be filled with sealant, as inputs, and theuser interface then creates an appropriate sealant dispensing pattern tosatisfactorily fill each cavity of the workpiece.

Various aspects of the user interface, as well as the operating softwareto control the robotic assembly, may be embodied as a computer method,computer system, or computer program product. Accordingly, aspects ofthe present disclosure may take the form of an entirely hardwareembodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware,resident software, micro-code, and the like), or an embodiment combiningsoftware and hardware aspects, all of which may generally be referred toherein as a “module,” or “system.” Furthermore, aspects of the presentdisclosure may take the form of a computer program product embodied in acomputer-readable medium (or media) having computer readable programcode/instructions embodied thereon.

Instructions for an operating system, applications, and/or programs maybe located in one or more storage devices in communication with the oneor more processor units through the communications framework. Theinstructions may be in a functional form on a persistent storage. Theseinstructions may be loaded into a memory for execution by processor 90.

These instructions may be referred to as program instructions, programcode, computer usable program code, or computer readable program codethat may be read and executed by processor 90. The program code in thedifferent embodiments may be embodied on different physical orcomputer-readable media.

Any combination of computer-readable media may be utilized.Computer-readable media can be a computer-readable signal medium and/ora computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage mediummay include an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared,and/or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitablecombination of these. More specific examples of a computer-readablestorage medium may include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber,a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storagedevice, a magnetic storage device, and/or any suitable combination ofthese and/or the like. In the context of this disclosure, acomputer-readable storage medium may include any suitable tangiblemedium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connectionwith an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

A computer-readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer-readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, and/or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer-readable signal medium may include any computer-readable mediumthat is not a computer-readable storage medium and that is capable ofcommunicating, propagating, or transporting a program for use by or inconnection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer-readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, and/or the like, and/or any suitablecombination of these. Computer program code for carrying out operationsfor aspects of the present disclosure may be written in any appropriateprogramming language. The program code may be written in a programminglanguage intended for the robotic system being controlled, such as forexample the TPP and KAREL programming languages that are useful forFANUC robotic systems. Alternatively or in addition, the program codemay include any of a variety of programming languages, includingobject-oriented programming languages (such as Java, Smalltalk, C++,and/or the like), or conventional procedural programming languages (suchas the C programming language, among others). The program code mayexecute entirely on a user's computer, partly on the user's computer, asa stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partlyon a remote computer, or entirely on the remote computer or server. Inthe latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user'scomputer through any type of network, including a local area network(LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), and/or the connection may be made toan external computer (for example, through the Internet using anInternet Service Provider).

The computer program code or instructions can also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevice to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on thedevice to produce a computer-implemented process such that theinstructions which execute on the computer or other programmableapparatus provide processes for implementing the functions/actsspecified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

Any flowchart and/or block diagram in the drawings is intended toillustrate the architecture, functionality, and/or operation of possibleimplementations of systems, methods, and computer program productsaccording to aspects of the present disclosure. In this regard, eachblock may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, whichcomprises one or more executable instructions for implementing thespecified logical function(s). In some implementations, the functionsnoted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the drawings. Forexample, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executedsubstantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed inthe reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved.

Each block and/or combination of blocks may be implemented by specialpurpose hardware-based systems (or combinations of special purposehardware and computer instructions) that perform the specified functionsor acts.

Example 3

An illustrative method of injecting sealant into a cavity is depicted byflowchart 92 of FIG. 13. As depicted, the illustrative method includescompressing a compressible element provided on a distal end face of anozzle tip against a structure defining an opening to the cavity (at 94of flowchart 92), and channeling sealant through the nozzle and tip intothe cavity (at 96 of flowchart 92).

Example 4

An illustrative automated method of injecting sealant into multiplecavities is depicted by flowchart 100 of FIG. 14. As depicted, theillustrative method includes connecting a control valve to the sealantsupply of an end effector (at 102 of flowchart 100), connecting a nozzleto the control valve (at 104 of flowchart 100), connecting a sealantdispensing tip having an aperture to the nozzle (at 106 of flowchart100), positioning a distal end face of the sealant dispensing tipagainst a structure defining a cavity opening so that the aperturealigns with the cavity opening (at 108 of flowchart 100), compressing acompressible element provided on the distal end face of the sealantdispensing tip to form a seal around the cavity opening (at 110 offlowchart 100), dispensing sealant through the sealant dispensing tipuntil the cavity is filled (at 112 of flowchart 100), disengaging thesealant dispensing tip from the structure (at 114 of flowchart 100), andthen, if channels remain to be sealed, repositioning the end effector toan empty cavity (at 116 of flowchart 100) and positioning the distal endface of the sealant dispensing tip against another structure defining acavity opening so that the aperture aligns with the cavity opening (at108 of flowchart 100).

Example 5

This section describes additional aspects and features of the sealantdispensing tips, sealant injection systems, and methods of injectingsealant into a cavity, presented without limitation as a series ofparagraphs, some or all of which may be alphanumerically designated forclarity and efficiency. Each of these paragraphs can be combined withone or more other paragraphs, and/or with disclosure from elsewhere inthis application, including the materials incorporated by reference inthe Cross-References, in any suitable manner. Some of the paragraphsbelow expressly refer to and further limit other paragraphs, providingwithout limitation examples of some of the suitable combinations.

A0. A sealant dispensing tip, comprising

a proximal end portion configured to engage a sealant materialdispensing system,

a body portion connected to the proximal end portion,

a distal end portion connected to the body portion, a continuous channelbeing defined through the proximal end portion, body portion, and distalend portion to an aperture provided in the distal end portion fordispensing sealant material into a cavity, and a compressible materialsurrounding the aperture.

A1. The sealant dispensing tip of paragraph AO, wherein the distal endportion has an end face surrounding the aperture, the end face having alinear ridge formed by intersecting planar surfaces.

A2. The sealant dispensing tip of any one of the above paragraphs, asectional plane being defined to bisect an upper portion of the channeland to contain the linear ridge, the aperture being located at leastmostly on one side of the sectional plane.

A3. The sealant dispensing tip of any one of the above paragraphs,wherein the planar surfaces form an angle of 80 to 100 degrees.

A4. The sealant dispensing tip of any one of the above paragraphs,wherein the compressible material is adhered to a face of the distal endportion surrounding the aperture.

A5. The sealant dispensing tip of any one of the above paragraphs,wherein the compressible material has an opening permitting flow ofsealant out of the aperture of the distal end portion into a cavity.

A6. The sealant dispensing tip of any one of the above paragraphs,wherein the cavity to be filled with sealant has an opening, theaperture in the distal end portion being smaller than the opening to thecavity.

A7. The sealant dispensing tip of any one of the above paragraphs,wherein the opening in the compressible material is smaller than theopening to the cavity and larger than the aperture in the distal endportion.

A8. The sealant dispensing tip of any one of the above paragraphs,wherein the compressible material is configured to create a temporaryseal around the channel between the distal end portion and a structureadjacent the opening of the cavity.

A9. The sealant dispensing tip of any one of the above paragraphs,wherein the channel has a progressively and smoothly varyingcross-sectional shape that is circular at the proximal end portion andelongate at the distal end portion.

A10. The sealant dispensing tip of any one of the above paragraphs,wherein the aperture of the distal end portion is elongate.

A11. The sealant dispensing tip of any one of the above paragraphs,wherein the compressible material has an indentation force deflection ofat least about 25% under a compressive force of 5-9 psi (30-60 kPa).

B0. A sealant injection system, comprising

a robot having an end effector that is configured to move a sealantdispenser and to control a flow of sealant to a desired location,

a nozzle connected to the end effector, and

a tip mounted on the nozzle, the tip having a central channel, anaperture in an end face, and a compressible member adhered to the endface surrounding the aperture.

B1. The sealant injection system of paragraph B0, wherein thecompressible member has an opening exposing the aperture in the endface.

B2. The sealant injection system of any one of the above paragraphs,wherein the opening in the compressible member is elongate having a longaxis and a short axis, the aperture being symmetrically located relativeto the short axis and nonsymmetrically located relative to the longaxis.

B3. The sealant injection system of any one of the above paragraphs,wherein the opening in the compressible member is larger than theaperture in the end face and smaller than a second opening that is influid communication with a cavity to be sealed.

B4. The sealant injection system of any one of the above paragraphs,wherein the robot is configured to position the tip against a surface,and to apply a force on the surface at the tip of at least approximately5 psi (30 kPa) prior to initiating the flow of sealant through theaperture in the end face.

B5. The sealant injection system of any one of the above paragraphs,wherein the robot is configured to position the tip against a surface,and to apply a force with the tip against the surface sufficient tocompress the compressible member by at least 25% of its uncompressedthickness.

B6. The sealant injection system of any one of the above paragraphs,wherein the end face of the tip has a linear ridge formed byintersecting planar faces.

B7. The sealant injection system of any one of the above paragraphs,wherein the aperture is located mostly to one side of the ridge.

B8. The sealant injection system of any one of the above paragraphs,wherein the aperture is isolated on one side of the ridge.

C0. A method of injecting sealant into a cavity, comprising compressinga compressible element provided on a distal end face of a nozzle tipagainst a structure adjacent an opening to the cavity, and channelingsealant through the nozzle and tip into the cavity.

C1. The method of paragraph CO, wherein the channeling step includesdirecting the sealant into the cavity opening, where the structuredefining the cavity opening is a first wall oriented orthogonally to anadjacent wall.

C2. The method of any one of the above paragraphs, wherein thechanneling step includes directing the sealant into the cavity openingwithout directing sealant into the adjacent wall.

C3. The method of any one of the above paragraphs, wherein thecompressing step is carried out prior to the channeling step.

C4. The method of any one of the above paragraphs, wherein thecompressing step includes compressing the compressible element providedon the distal end face of the nozzle against the corner structuredefined by the first wall and the adjacent wall.

C5. The method of any one of the above paragraphs, wherein thecompressible element has a first and a second planar portions orientedorthogonally to one another, and the compressing step includes applyingsubstantially equivalent force on each planar portion of thecompressible element.

C6. The method of any one of the above paragraphs, wherein thecompressible element has first and second planar portions orientedorthogonally to each other, and the compressing step resulting inapproximately the same degree of compression for the first and secondplanar portions of the compressible element.

Advantages, Features, Benefits

The different embodiments of the sealant dispensing tip, sealantinjection system, and method of injecting sealant described hereinprovide several advantages over known solutions for the automatedinjection of adhesive or sealant into cavities or channels having smallvolumes.

The current manual process of dispensing sealant employed a pneumaticSemco gun to fill injection seals. However, due to the lack of pressurecontrol, and lack of precision, the manual process resulted in theinjection of excess sealant, which was then forced out of the cavity andonto the workpiece. The excess sealant dispensed in this waynecessitated a significant amount of additional clean up, increasingman-hours needed to complete the process as well as generatingadditional waste materials that required appropriate disposal.

The sealant dispensing tip of the present disclosure includes anasymmetric dispensing aperture, which delivers sealant precisely to theopening of the cavity to be filled, while the presence of a compressiblematerial on the planar faces of the end of the dispensing tip allows forthe easy creation of a tight seal between the dispensing tip and thesurface surrounding the opening to the cavity. This reliable andconsistent seal permits enhanced control of sealant pressure and thevolume of sealant that is dispensed, which in turn minimizes theinjection of excess sealant onto the workpiece, and the need foradditional cleaning after the injection process is complete.

No known system or device can perform these functions, particularly inthe automated dispensing of sealant. However, not all embodimentsdescribed herein may provide the same advantages or the same degree ofadvantage.

Conclusion

The disclosure set forth above may encompass multiple distinctinventions with independent utility. Although each of these inventionshas been disclosed in its preferred form(s), the specific embodimentsthereof as disclosed and illustrated herein are not to be considered ina limiting sense, because numerous variations are possible. To theextent that section headings are used within this disclosure, suchheadings are for organizational purposes only, and do not constitute acharacterization of any claimed invention. The subject matter of theinvention(s) includes all novel and nonobvious combinations andsubcombinations of the various elements, features, functions, and/orproperties disclosed herein. The following claims particularly point outcertain combinations and subcombinations regarded as novel andnonobvious. Invention(s) embodied in other combinations andsubcombinations of features, functions, elements, and/or properties maybe claimed in applications claiming priority from this or a relatedapplication. Such claims, whether directed to a different invention orto the same invention, and whether broader, narrower, equal, ordifferent in scope to the original claims, also are regarded as includedwithin the subject matter of the invention(s) of the present disclosure.

We claim:
 1. A method of injecting sealant into a cavity using a nozzletip, comprising compressing a compressible element provided on a distalend face of a nozzle tip against a structure defining an opening to thecavity, wherein the distal end face of the nozzle tip defines anaperture for dispensing sealant, the aperture being smaller than theopening to the cavity; and channeling sealant through the nozzle tipinto the cavity.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the channeling stepincludes directing the sealant into the cavity opening, where thestructure defining the cavity opening is a first wall orientedorthogonally to an adjacent wall.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein thecompressing step includes compressing the compressible element providedon the distal end face of the nozzle against a corner structure definedby the first wall and the adjacent wall.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein the compressible element has first and second planar portionsoriented orthogonally to one another, and the compressing step includesapplying substantially equivalent force on each planar portion of thecompressible element.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the distal endface has a linear ridge formed where the first and second planarportions intersect, and the ridge crosses the aperture asymmetrically,and the compressing step includes compressing one of the first andsecond planar portions against the structure defining the opening to thecavity.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the aperture is isolated onone side of the ridge, and the compressing step includes aligning theaperture with the opening of the cavity.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein the compressible element has first and second planar portionsoriented orthogonally to each other, and the compressing step resultingin approximately the same degree of compression for the first and secondplanar portions of the compressible element.
 8. The method of claim 2,wherein the channeling step includes directing the sealant into thecavity opening without directing sealant into the adjacent wall.
 9. Anautomated method of injecting sealant into a cavity via an openingdefined by a structure; comprising: configuring a processor to control arobot having an end effector that is configured to move a sealantdispenser and to control a flow of sealant from the sealant dispenser toa desired location, wherein the sealant dispenser includes a nozzle tiphaving a compressible element provided on a distal end face of thenozzle tip, the distal end face of the nozzle tip defining an aperturefor dispensing the sealant, where the aperture is smaller than anopening of the cavity; by controlling the articulated robot, compressinga compressible element provided on the distal end face of the nozzle tipagainst the structure while the aperture is substantially aligned withthe opening to the cavity; and by controlling the articulated robot,channeling sealant through the nozzle tip into the cavity.
 10. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the compressing step includes controlling thearticulated robot to position the nozzle tip against the surface, and toapply a force on the surface at the nozzle tip of at least approximately5 psi (30 kPa).
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the compressing stepincludes controlling the articulated robot to position the nozzle tipagainst the surface, and to apply a force with the nozzle tip againstthe surface sufficient to compress the compressible element by at least25% of its uncompressed thickness.
 12. The method of claim 9, whereinthe structure defining the cavity opening includes a first wall orientedorthogonally to an adjacent wall, and the compressing step includescompressing the compressible element provided on the distal end face ofthe nozzle tip against a corner structure defined by the first wall andthe adjacent wall.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the compressibleelement has first and second planar portions oriented orthogonally toone another, and the compressing step includes applying substantiallyequivalent force on each planar portion of the compressible element. 14.The method of claim 12, wherein the compressible element has first andsecond planar portions oriented orthogonally to each other, and thecompressing step includes applying approximately the same degree ofcompression for the first and second planar portions of the compressibleelement
 15. The method of claim 9, further comprising: by controllingthe articulated robot, repositioning the end effector to a second cavityhaving a second opening defined by a second structure; by controllingthe articulated robot, compressing the compressible element of thenozzle tip against the second structure while the aperture issubstantially aligned with the second opening to the second cavity; andby controlling the articulated robot, channeling sealant through thenozzle tip into the second cavity.
 16. A method of injecting sealantinto a cavity, comprising: compressing a compressible element providedon a distal end face of a nozzle tip against a structure adjacent anopening to the cavity, and channeling sealant through the nozzle tipinto the cavity, wherein the compressing step is carried out prior tothe channeling step.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein thecompressible element has first and second planar portions forming anangle with one another of between eighty to one hundred degrees, and thecompressing step includes applying substantially equivalent force oneach planar portion of the compressible element.
 18. The method of claim17, wherein the geometry of the first and second planar portions isconfigured to accommodate the geometry of a wall surrounding the cavity.19. The method of claim 16, wherein the nozzle tip has an aperturesmaller than the opening to the cavity.
 20. The method of claim 19,wherein each of the aperture and the opening has a width and a height,each of the width and the height of the aperture being less than thecorresponding width and height of the opening.